The builder's crystal ball shows a stunning amount of growth in your backyard in the coming years.

Existing home sales are slumping. Sales of new homes are down. So are home prices. Foreclosures are at a record high in Monroe County. Yet builders keep building, although the rate of new projects may be tapering off.

Matt Neeb, Monroe County's community planner, said he saw more residential proposals in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

"It seems slower this year. The new stormwater regulations may be slowing things. We are seeing development, but nothing like the last few years," he said.

Major housing developments, those of more than four homes, don't happen overnight.

There are rules regarding zoning and environmental and traffic impact issues that builders must follow. When developers meet the requirements, township officials must then allow projects to proceed.

Builders spend plenty of time and money preparing a land development plan. They survey the land and draw out intricate sketches before presenting the proposal to a township board. Township leaders haggle, sometimes for years, over details on land development plans.

They look at issues such as water drainage, sewage and emergency vehicle access.

At times the process is so slow that builders withdraw their plans. But because they invest so much money up front, withdrawals are rare. Those plans presented in 2004 may still be in play.

If all the plans - from those at first sketch to those at final approval -were added up, just how many homes are we talking about? Counting only dwellings in clusters of five or more, there are 12,538 new homes, townhouses and a few apartments planned.

Good news if you're gray. More than 3,000 homes are intended for people over 55 years old. This will generate more school tax money without all those pesky kids families bring in. Still, there is plenty of room for families.

Assuming most households own two cars, there could be 25,076 more cars on the road.